Dental pliers.



J. B. McALLISTER.

DENTAL PLIERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-20. 1915.

1,1 90,1 80. Patented July 4, 1916.

WITNESSES ms NORRIS PEYERS cc, Amara-1.1mm. wAsmucruM o c JAMESBELLINGER MGALLISTER, OF ST. JOHN'SVILLE, NEW YORK.

DENTAL PLIERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1916.

Application filed September 20, 1915. Serial No. 51,570.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES B. MoALLIs- TER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of St. J ohnsville, in the county of Montgomeryand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Dental Pliers,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to pliers and particularly to dental pliers, andhas for an object the provision of an improved arrangement whereby aligature may be operated properly and easily for producing a separationof adjacent teeth.

Another object in view is to provide a pair of pliers with an improvedarrangement for holding the cord or ligature of any suitable kind whilethe pliers are being operated so that a knot arranged inthe ligature maybe drawn to a position between adjacentteeth and thereby produce aseparation of the teeth.

A still further object in view is to provide a pair of dental plierswith an improved arrangement of retaining and gripping or clampingmembers for holding the ends of the ligature in position while thepliers are being operated.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of a pair ofpliers embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is an edge view of the structureshown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a pair of pliers embodying aslightly modified form of ligature retaining device to that shown inFig. 1; Fig. 4 is an edge view of the structure shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5is an enlarged fragmentary side view of another ligature retainingdevice for pliers; Fig. 6 is an edge view of the structure shown in Fig.5; Fig. 7 is a plan view of part of a jaw with several teeth arrangedthereon together with a short section of cord; Fig. 8 is a fragmentaryedge view of a tooth together with a ligature provided with a knot andone end of a pair of pliers associated therewith illustrating how thepliers may force the knot between adjacent teeth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings 7 by numerals, 1 indicates thepliers in their entirety, which pliers are provided with grippingportions 2 and 3 of any suitable size and shape. The gripping portions 2and 3 merge into what may be termed interlocking body sections 4 and 5which in turn merge into operating jaws 6 and 7. The

jaws 6 and 7 are slightly bent to one side, as shown in Fig. 2, so as tobetter straddle the teeth in operating the device. It will be noted thatthe body section 5 is provided with a slot for receiving the web 8 ofthe section 4, with two sections being connected together by a suitablepivotal pin 9. -By this construction and arrangement the parts of thepliers are not crossed in the manner of an ordinary pliers. Pins 10 and11 are connected to the respective sections 4 and 5 so as to receive theends of the ligature 12. Preferably these pins are provided withenlargements pr heads and are adapted to have the ends of the ligature12 wrapped around the same so as to prevent any slipping of theligature.

In operating the pliers it is necessary first to pass the ligature 12between the teeth, as shown in Fig. 7 and if desired to draw an enlargedligature 12 between the teeth, after which the ligature is formed with aknot 13, as shown in Fig. 8. The ends of the ligature are then threadedthrough the apertures 14 provided in the ends of the jaws 6 and 7. Afterthe ends of the ligature have been threaded through the apertures 14they are secured to pins 10 and 11 and are drawn reasonably tight. Thejaws 6 and 7 are then separated or spread from the position shown inFig. 8 to their extreme open position, which will naturally cause theknot 13 to move downwardly between the adjacent teeth and cause theseparation thereof. If the separation is not sufiicient a second knotmay be used, and so on until the desired separation is secured. It is ofcourse evident'that a larger ligature may be used for providing agreater opening than a small ligature. It will be noted that ample poweris provided for forcing the knot between the teeth by the use of thejaws 6 and 7, which is not the case where the knot is drawn manually theoperators hand. In

using the ligature for providing a separa-.

tion between some of the back teeth it is very diflicult for theoperator to properly pull the ligature for causing the knot to movebetween the teeth. By the provision of the jaws 6 and 7 and-associatedparts a knot may be readily forced between the back teeth for producingany desired separation without any appreciable discomfort to the patientexcept for the pain incident to the separation.

In Figs. 3 and 4 will be seen a modified form of the invention in whichthe construction of thepliers is the same except that instead of theopening 14- in the jaws 6 and 7 the jaws are provided with slots 15through which the ligature is passed and then held in place by thumbscrews 16 and 17 threaded onto the posts 18 and 19, The posts arerigidly secured to the pliers in any suitable manner. The respectiveparts of the pliers are also provided with bosses 20 and 21 havingserrated or roughened faces which coact with the serrated or roughenedfaces of the screws 16 and 17 for clamping the ends of the ligatureagainst movement. It is evident that the construction shown in Fig. 2and that shown in Figs. 5 and 6 cduld be provided with a slot similar toslot 15 without departing from the spirit of the invention, as any formof opening which will receive the ligature will answer the purpose. InFigs. 5 and 6 will be seen a further modified form of the invention inwhich each of said parts of the pliers is provided with a pair of pawls,more clearly shown in 6, which are intended to receive and hold theligature 12 against movement. The pawl 22 is pivotally mounted on a pin23 rigidly secured in any suitable manner to the pliers whereby the pawl22 may be freely moved. The pawl 22 is provided with notches 24 and 25over which part of the ligature 12 is passed and then caused to extendbetween pawl 22 and pawl 26, the last mentioned pawl being provided witha notch 27 over which the ligature is passed. Pawl 26 is pivotallymounted at 28 to the pliers, said pivotal mounting being approximatelymidway of the respective pawls so that when there is any strain on theligature 12 the pawls will move together to engage each other in such amanner that the entire length of the sides will be in contact, thusproducing an effective pinching action against the section of theligature between the pawls. This will positively prevent any slipping ofthe ligature when the knot i being drawn.

It will be evident that slight modifications and changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention and variousadjustments and different assemblages of parts could be utilized, as forinstance, only one of the securing members for the ligature could beused, as for instance, member 17, or only one set of pins, as forinstance pins 10. It is also evident that if desired one aperturesimilar to apcr ture 14 could be used in one jaw and a slot 15 could beused on the opposite jaw, as this arrangement would serve exactly thepurpose intended. No claim is made to the detail or specificconstruction shown in Figs. 3 and 1-, as this structure is claimedspecifically in my co-pending application Serial No. 101,467 filed June3, 1916, and entitled Dental Pliers. I

WVhat I claim is 1. In a pair of dental pliers of the characterdescribed, a plier construction provided with a pair of jaws pivotallyconnected together and gripping portions for actuating the aws, andmeans arranged on the pliers for receiving and holding againstindependent movement the ends of a ligature, said jaws being providedwith openings through which said ligature passes.

2. In a pair of dental pliers of the character described, a plierconstruction provided with a. body, gripping portions and a pair ofjaws,said jaws being bent so as to extend to one side of the body, the outerend of the jaws being provided with openings for receiving a ligature,and ligature receiving gripping members arranged on said body portionfor receiving and holding the ends of said ligature after the same havebeen passed through said openings.

3. In a pair of dental pliers of the character described, a plierconstruction including a pair of jaws having openings therein forreceiving a ligature, a pair of pawls pivotally mounted on the plierstructure, one

7 of said pawls being pivotally mounted near the end thereof and theother near the center thereof whereby the sides of the pawls will engagewhen one pawl is pulled over against the other, said pawls beingprovided with notches for assisting in holding the end per tions of theligature on the pawls so that one section thereof will be between thesides thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES BELLINGER MCALLISTER.

GEORGE A. ALLEN.

@opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner or Patents, Washington, D. G.

